Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Russia began voting on September 18 in elections to the ninth State Duma, the lower house of parliament. It is the country’s first nationwide parliamentary election since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine. The four regions of Donetsk and three others are participating for the first time. President Vladimir Putin has called on citizens to make the right choice.

TREE NEWS update: An explosion at a Syrian transitional government military position in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria on the 18th killed 11 personnel from the transitional government’s Ministry of Defense, Syrian state news agency reported on the 19th. The report did not specify the cause of the blast or provide further details on the incident.

TREE NEWS update: Two gliders collided in midair over New York state on the 18th, killing one pilot, New York State Police said in a statement. One glider landed safely on the ground with its pilot uninjured, while investigators found the wreckage of the second aircraft in a remote area.

TREE NEWS update: Iran executed a man accused of supplying Israel’s Mossad with intelligence on Iranian military bases in exchange for money, Iranian media reported on the 19th. The man, identified as Hossein Pedaran, passed information on bases in central Isfahan province to the Israeli intelligence service.

TREE NEWS update: France’s draft budget projects public spending at 56.9% of GDP in 2027, following 57.1% of GDP in 2026. The figures show a slight decline in the spending ratio over the two years covered by the draft.

TREE NEWS update: Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Bakhtiyar Abayevich Mukhametkaliyev, led a delegation to Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center (SUTPC), where the company signed memoranda of understanding with the ministry and with the governments of five regions: Kostanay, Zhambyl, Akmola, West Kazakhstan and Pavlodar. The parties will deepen cooperation on smart regions, smart cities and the low-altitude economy, exploring digital development paths suited to local needs.

TREE NEWS update: China’s embassy in Sudan issued a notice on September 19 saying the country’s overall security situation remains severe and again warning Chinese citizens against traveling to extremely high-risk areas in the near term. The advisory was published by the embassy as a formal notice.

TREE NEWS update: The Nagoya Asian Games officially opened on September 19. The opening ceremony marks the start of the multi-sport event hosted in Nagoya, Japan.

TREE NEWS update: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on 19 August, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said. The two exchanged views on the latest regional situation. No further details of the call were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Hong Kong’s Secretary for Housing Ho Wing-yin said the government will ban substandard subdivided flats and largely resolve the problem by 2030, under measures in the first Five-Year Plan and the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address. She set out a long-term housing strategy of 40% public rental housing, 30% subsidised sale flats and 30% private housing, with 60% of housing for owner-occupation.

TREE NEWS update: Explosions were heard again in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on the 19th. Thick smoke rose near King Khalid International Airport in the northeast of the city. No further details on casualties or damage were immediately available.

TREE NEWS update: China has completed the ‘Dixing-3’ bed rest experiment, with results showing protective effects on bone, muscle and cardiovascular function, the first Aerospace Medicine Engineering Conference in Tianjin heard on 19 September. The findings will provide technical support for long-duration spaceflight and crewed lunar missions.

TREE NEWS update: Xiguang Si No. 1 (01) satellite, the pathfinder A of the “Wuyang Constellation,” departed Xi’an Xixian New Area’s Airport New City for its launch site. The Wuyang Constellation is the world’s first low-inclination remote-sensing satellite constellation, targeting economically active low-latitude zones between 35 and 40 degrees north and south. The plan comprises three pathfinder satellites and 25 operational satellites.

TREE NEWS update: Liu Zongcheng, president of Seres Group’s technology company, said at the 2026 China Automotive Industry Development (TEDA) International Forum that the biggest risk facing the auto industry is not moving slowly but ‘rushing to completion.’ He said China’s auto industry must move from scale leadership to quality leadership and cannot chase speed by compressing validation cycles or lowering safety standards.

TREE NEWS update: China’s extravehicular spacesuit technology now stands at an advanced international level, with the Wangyu lunar suit progressing well after mastering dozens of key technologies, according to the first Aerospace Medical Engineering Conference held in Tianjin. Only a few countries can independently develop extravehicular spacesuits, which are core equipment protecting astronauts’ safety and work efficiency during spacewalks.

TREE NEWS reports: Saudi Arabia has made a rare request for support to Israel, with which it has no diplomatic ties, as it scrambles to avert an oil supply disruption. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively blockaded, and an alternative pipeline route has been damaged in an attack by a pro-Iranian armed group, Nikkei reported on September 19.

TREE NEWS update: State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company said it completed a live, mechanized replacement of tension glass insulators on the ±1100 kV Ji-Quan line’s Gansu section in Shandan County on July 18. It is Gansu’s first such live-line insulator replacement on China’s highest-voltage transmission line. The 3,304.7 km Ji-Quan line runs from Changji, Xinjiang, to Guquan, Anhui, with 1,279.6 km, nearly 40%, in Gansu.

TREE NEWS reports: The Federal Reserve has formally begun its rate-hike cycle, with markets pricing in roughly three more increases this year as oil approaches $100 a barrel. BIT research notes the setup differs from 2022: markets had priced eight hikes before the Fed moved then versus about 3.8 now, and core CPI excluding energy is still falling. Historically, six months after a first hike gold rose 11.5% and bitcoin 7.9%.

TREE NEWS update: The U.S. Department of Defense told Congress that the war with Iran had cost $45.1 billion as of September 3, with total war costs of $43.6 billion and a further $1.5 billion for additional fuel expenses, sources said. The estimate does not fully reflect the war’s total cost, excluding repairs to damaged bases or buildings and omitting the detailed breakdown of indirect military-operation costs Congress requested.

TREE NEWS update: The EU issued a statement on the 19th expressing regret that the United States has, for a second consecutive year, denied entry visas to members of the Palestinian delegation, preventing them from attending the upcoming 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The EU urged Washington to reconsider, citing the existing UN headquarters agreement and US obligations as host country.